After 8 days in the desert southwest, I was looking forward to heading north for cooler temperatures and greener landscape.  My travel would take me 658 miles (with two stops in Colorado) on my way to Edgemont, South Dakota.  My first resting spot was the Colorado National Monument.  

I wasn’t really expecting much – it was just going to be a rest stop, as I continued north, but what a great spot.  The Colorado National Monument is nestled just south of I-70, between Fruita and Grand Junction, Colorado.  What I didn’t know was that it is a showcase of red rock spires and breathtaking canyons.

Getting to the park was an experience in itself.  Apple Maps guided me to Grand Junction, then south off I-70 to the park and Cruise Rim Rock Drive – once in the park I started to climb along the 23-mile Rim Drive.  This was a white knuckle experience in a 31’ class-C motorhome; a narrow road with a 200 – 400 ft. drop to the canyon floor.  Needless to say, I took it slow and easy, but it took forever.  Nineteen miles later I arrived at the Visitor’s Center and Saddlehorn Campground. It was there that I found out that the West Entrance (outside Fruita) was just four (4) miles away (LOL – thank you Apple Maps).

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Lesson Learned:  Don’t rely solely on directions from a smartphone/computer App.  You can start there but actually take the time to look at a map to see if the App suggested route is actually the best route.  I could have saved about an hour of driving time and many heart palpitations by taking the West Entrance to the park.

The park was perfect and not very crowded for a Labor Day weekend.  In the morning, I was up early to catch the sunrise and then I was back on the road.

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Destination – Cherry Creek State Park in Aurora, Colorado (just outside Denver).  The drive across the Continental Divide to the eastern slope of the Rocky Mountains was absolutely beautiful.

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I picked this stop to visit with my Godsons (Scotty and Eli) and to meet another addition to the Bison Bro Clan, Austin Bloss.  The State Park was nice but once again the Maps App took me to the wrong entrance (this time I only had to backtrack a few miles).  The evening of catching up over a dinner of Salmon Filets, Roasted Beets and Potatoes, on a bed of spinach (Austin is not a fan of the beet) was extremely enjoyable and it was great to catch up.

In the morning, I was up early for my longest planned day on the road en-route to South Dakota.  I am going to spend 5 days exploring the Black Hills, Mount Rushmore, and attending a college football game.  The long stay was planned to take a break from driving for a little while, explore Sioux territory, and visit a longtime friend, Bobby Stevens. Looking forward to doing fun shit always.